Like Christmas, Easter Sunday is the perfect occasion to get the family together for some quality time. The bank holiday allows everyone to relax and if the sun is shining, what better activity than an afternoon easter egg hunt with the children? We all love the opportunity to share some fun time with the family, but for many, feeding the 5000 is a real chore and for some it fills them with dread. We have put together a handy cheat sheet to take the sweat out of preparing Sunday lunch, so you can make the most of your time with the family rather than slaving over a hot stove.
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Never wash a chicken. Washing the bird spreads germs around your kitchen. If you cook it properly any bacteria will be killed any way. This both saves you time and avoids the risk of food poisoning!
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Work smart and multi task. Bring your chosen meat to room temperature before cooking. While it is doing so use the time to prepare your vegetables and accompaniments.
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Let the family serve themselves. Plating up in the kitchen both adds time and risks food getting cold. Better to serve hot food to the table in bowls or on platters for guests to help themselves.
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Super quick gravy. Scrape the bottom of the tin you roasted your meat in, dislodging all the stuck on bits, and pan juices. Put it on the heat and add half a handful of flour and some water. Then stir and stir and stir until it goes from lumpy to the perfect gravy.
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Cook everything together. A large roasting tray will save you valuable time and effort. Thinly slice some potatoes onions and root vegetables, enough to almost fill your roasting tin. Layer them in the tin with some butter or oil. Use a cake rack to rest your meat of choice on top of the vegetables. Pour half a mug of water over the vegetables and as the whole thing cooks, the vegetables will cook in the fat and juices from the meat and will be delicious.
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Get the kids involved. They can help with the the easy but time-consuming stuff like peeling or grating. It keeps them busy and they will be happy to have helped make lunch!
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Get ahead with your preparation. If you do all your time consuming jobs the day before such as preparing your veg, you can spend valuable time with your family instead of being stuck in the kitchen.
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Ask for help! There is no need to slave away on your own when there are plenty of spare hands around. Many hands make light work!
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Have a late lunch. If you have more time to prepare it will definitely reduce those stress levels!
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Avoid extra washing up! Boil veg together or use disposable roasting tins, which you can simply throw away when you’ve finished with them.
Struggling for lunch ideas? Don’t miss our recent blog post on seasonal fruit and vegetables for some great ideas on how to incorporate Spring’s delicious produce in your meal.
Written by Mike Pye
